Rectangular wall cabinet for recessed or surface mounting

ABSTRACT

A rectangular cabinet, such as is used as an encasement for apartment type multiple mail box units or the like. The cabinet body is composed of top, bottom and side members mitercut from a strip of accurately dimensioned sheet material of special configuration, and assembled into a rectangular cabinet structure by means of miter reinforcing elements set into channels in abutting ones of said members, and secured in place. Said members provide the cabinet with a front flange to rest against the wall as a face frame to cover the opening in recessed mounting, and a back flange for securing the cabinet in place. The said members also provide fastening elements for engagement with collar pieces when the cabinet is to be surface mounted. The collar pieces are also mitercut from a strip of accurately dimensioned sheet material of a different configuration from the body strip, and are provided with cooperating fastening elements, whereby the collar pieces may be snapped in place on said cabinet to give it a finished appearance when surface mounted.

United States Patent 11 1 Denker et a1.

[ RECTANGULAR WALL CABINET FOR RECESSED OR SURFACE MOUNTING [75] Inventors: Carl J. Denker, West Chester; Ernest F. ()hlhauser, Cincinnati, both of Ohio [73] Assignee: The Celotex Corporation, Tampa,

Fla.

[22] Filed: Aug. 31, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 176,501

[52] US. Cl 312/242, 312/111, 312/245 [51] Int. Cl. A47b 67/02, A47f 5/08 [58] Field of Search 312/140, 111, 242,

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,986,417 1/1935 Skoogh 312/140 2,612,283 9/1952 Cole 312/242 UX 2,785,035 3/1957 Hammer 312/257 3,203,149 8/1965 Soddy 52/588 X 3,438,164 4/1969 Duepree 52/282 3,650,080 3/1972 Leale 52/288 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,509,860 8/1969 Germany 52/282 I 11 3,751,131 Aug. 7, 1973 Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam Attorney.lames W. Grace [57] ABSTRACT A rectangular cabinet, such as is used as an encasement for apartment type multiple mail box units or the like.

, The cabinet body is composed of top, bottom and side members mitercut from a strip of accurately dimen-' sioned sheet material of special configuration, and assembled into a rectangularcabinet structure by means of miter reinforcing elements set into channels in abutting ones of said members, and secured in place. Said members provide the cabinet with a front flange to rest against the wall as a face frame to cover the opening in recessed mounting, and a back flange for securing the cabinet in place. The said members also provide fastening elements for engagement with collar pieceswhen the cabinet is to be surface mounted. The collar pieces are also mitercut from a strip of accurately dimensioned sheet material of a different configuration from I the body strip, and are provided with cooperating fastening elements, whereby the collar pieces may be snapped in place on said cabinet to give it a finished appearance when surface mounted.

6 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTED 71975 v 3.751.131

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ATTORNEYS PATENTEU AUG 7 SHEEIZUFS I MEL TmuFF tmWF E LE E5 5 NVENTO R/$ 64.24 J- DEA/KER ATTORNEYS RECTANGULAR WALL CABINET FOR RECESSED OR SURFACE MOUNTING BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a rectangular cabinet suitable for mounting on, or partially recessed in, a wall, partition or ceiling. Cabinets of this general kind are used extensively for many purposes, including bathroom cabinets, sample and display cabinets, magazine racks, and multiple main box (apartment type) units, and are produced in a variety of sizes. Usually, if the installation situation permits, the cabinet body is recessed into the wall cavity, with its front face frame against the wall surface to conceal the opening. The cabinet body is usually secured in place by wood screws into the framing members of the wall, or by expansion screws or toggle bolts.

This invention deals with a novel system of construction of the cabinet itself and also with integral structural features of the cabinet body which render it readily convertible from the usual recessed installation to surface mounted installation, by means of mitercut detachable outer wall members that may be assembled quickly and easily with the body to form a double wall or collar for the cabinet and thereby provide an acceptable finished appearance for the installed unit, when surface mounting is necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Most of the rectangularwall cabinets now being produced are made from sheet steel. A strip of sheet steel of suitable width and length for the top, bottom or sides of the cabinet box is formed to have a flange along one edge for the front face frame, with a rearwardly directed narrow edge flange, and may have another flange along the other edge of the strip for a back frame member. The front face flange is miter-cut at the ends, and the ends of the body strips are lapped over at the corners and spot welded or riveted to form an open box structure. If the intended use of the cabinet requires a closed back this is provided by inserting a back panel of sheet steel, secured by spot welding, rivets or sheet metal screws. Usually the steel is given a surface finish of enamel which may be metallized to resemble brass (gold) or aluminum (silver) and which provides rust resistance. This method of fabricating wall cabinets has been in general use for many years.

Some cabinets for special uses have been produced from extruded or flat aluminum strip having a front frame face flange formed along one edge. Again, the practice in assembling the cabinet box from such a strip is to lap the ends of the cut pieces and secure them at the corners with rivets or sheet metal screws. The aluminum cabinet has the advantage of greater corrosion resistance than steel, and does not require an enamel finish. Structurally, it does not differ from a sheet steel cabinet box and has no advantages as to fabricating and assembly operations. Miter-cut segments of extruded aluminum have been used to produce front face trim for cabinets and these are attached to the cabinet box with screws or rivets.

The cabinets above described are mostly designed for recessed installation in a wall cavity, with the front face frame against the wall surface so that the body of the cabinet is concealed. If such a cabinet is surface mounted on a wall it has a most unsatisfactory, unfinished appearance because the body of the cabinet is exposed. Most wall cabinets can be recess mounted in a building of new construction; but when an old building is converted into apartments, it is often the case that obstructions within the interior walls, such as piping and electrical wiring, make such installation impossible or very difficult. Thus up to 20 per cent of the cabinet installations made will require surface mounting.

The cabinet manufacturing industry has found no satis'factory solution to the problem of providing a re cessed-type cabinet with an acceptable finished appearance when surface mounted. The method commonly used is to fabricate a separate outer casing for the cabinet from sheet steel, with a top, bottom and sides, inward turned back flanges, and special flanges along the four front edges to space the casing uniformly about the inner cabinet box and hold it securely in place. The casing above described is usually termed a collar for the cabinet. This is a very cumbersome device to manufacture and install, often makes a poor fit with the cabinet, and requires manufacture and inventory of a different collar for each size of cabinet produced. For shipment, it requires a separate package as large as that in which the cabinet is packed. The collar must be applied to the cabinet before it is installed and this is done by slipping the collar over the cabinet body from the back until the front edges of the collar are engaged beneath the rearward turned edge flanges of the front face frame Then this assembly of cabinet and collar is attached to the wall surface with screws or toggle bolts in the usual manner. Until the present invention no means had been found to provide a recessed-type wall cabinet with easily detachable collar pieces of compact form, precise dimensions and fit, and of 2m tractive finished appearance, thereby eliminating the need for manufacturing and shipping prefabricated separate collars for surface mounted jobs.

OBJECTS OF THEINVENTION The principal object of this iiivention is to provide a novel construction and assembly of the parts for a rectangular cabinet that is simple, easily fabricated to pro duce a rigid, strong unit which is not easily damaged or marred in use, that requires a minimum of manufacturing operations to make a finished cabinet, and that is readily adaptable to the production of cabinets of different sizes and for different uses.

Another important purpose of the invention is to produce a rectangular cabinet intended primarily for recessed installation but to provide the cabinet body with structurally integral attachment devices, such as recessed ribs, which adapt it for conversion to a surface mounted installation by the simple expedient of snapping in" segments of miter-cut strips as outer wall pieces to interlock securely with the cabinet body, thereby providing the cabinet with an outer wall of 'collar of satisfactory finished appearance when it is surface mounted.

An important object of the invention is to simplify the fabrication operations by producing the complete cabinet body, including the front face frame and the back frame, from a single strip of accurately dimensioned sheet material of special configuration which, when miter-cut to suitable lengths for the top, bottoin and sides, can easily be assembled and permanently joined to form the desired box structure. This method of assembly and fastening of the cabinet parts cornpletely eliminates welding and the use of screws or rivets, as well as the forming operations for flanges and face trim parts.

It is a further object of the invention to produce the miter-cut segments of the collar pieces for the outer wall from an accurately dimensioned strip of sheet material having a different configuration from that used for the cabinet body and provided with at least one fin or leg adapted to interlock with the recessed rib or other attachment device of the body. With the front edge of the collar strip engaged beneath the rearward flange of the front face frame, the outer wall 'thus formed is permanently and securely held in place when the cabinet is surface mounted,

Another broad object is to make possible the production of an improved cabinet, having the unique features herein disclosed, including both the cabinet body for recessed installation and the collar pieces for converting it to surface mounted installation, from strips of any sheet material possessing sufficient rigidity, hardness, strength, heat resistance and durability for practical fabrication and satisfactory service life. Suitable materials include roll formed sheet steel, sheet aluminum, extruded aluminum alloys, extruded brass, die-cast metal alloys, and certain hard, strong, preformed plastics.

Another object is to provide a readily installed detachable collar for wall cabinets of conventional fabricated steel construction, using miter-cut segments of a suitable preformed collar strip, by adding suitable attachment devices such as recessed ribs to the steel cabiv net body to interlock with a fin or leg of the collar strip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an assembled cabinet, seen from the rear, with parts of the collar broken away to show the construction.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detailed view of a corner of the cabinet, seen in rear elevation.

FIG. 4 is an exploded front view of a complete cabinet for use as an encasement for multiple apartment house mail boxes, showing all the component parts of the structure in relation to each other. 1

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to FIG. 2, showing various structural modifications.

FIG. 8 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 2 showingthe engagement of the fins and ribs.

FIGS. 9 to 12 are similar views to FIG. 8 showing other forms of fin and rib which work satisfactorily.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The basic concept of the invention is to produce a complete cabinet body, including the top 10, bottom 11, sides 12, front frame 13 (face trim) and back frame 14, from an integral preformed strip of semi-rigid sheet material (metal or plastic) of precise dimensions and special configuration. Miter-cut segments of this strip, miter-cut inward at 45 to the outer face to suitable lengths, are joined at the corners, and permanently and rigidly secured by flat rectangular miter reinforcement pieces 15 and 15a to form an assembled cabinet box suitable for recessed installation on a wall. To adapt the assembled cabinet to any specific end use a front panel, hinge door, mirror, sliding doors, shelf brackets, mail boxes, or back panel may be installed as required. The

strip has a special configuration with a generally flat, wide central portion 16 to form the body of the box. It has along one edge an outwardly-turned flange 13 at to the flat central portion, and this flange has a rearwardly-turned narrow flange l8 and constitutes a face frame (trim) for the cabinet interior. The strip also has an inwardly turned 90 flange 14 along the other edge of the strip to constitute a back frame member for the cabinet box. The front frame flange and the back frame flange each have spaced ribs 20 and 21 extending longitudinally to provide a narrow channel or slot for insertion and permanent crimped retention of the rectangular miter reinforcement pieces 15 and 15a at each front and back mitered comer of the cabinet. Since the same preformed strip is used for all the body members of the cabinet the only variable is the length of the miter-cut segments, so that cabinets of any desired dimensions can be produced.

An auxiliary concept is to provide the recessed-type cabinet produced as above described, with a readily detachable outer wall or collar, of miter-cut segments 22 of a strip having a different configuration of preformed semi-rigid sheet material. The collar strip also is of precise dimensions and is provided with one or more interlocking fins or legs 23, 23a adapted to mate with and interlock with recessed ribs 24, 24a suitably positioned on the cabinet body strip. The strips are both semirigid, but have sufficient flexibility so that when the collar segment is installed and pressed into place the fins interlock with the recessed ribs to provide a spring loaded interference fit that holds the collar securely in place, thereby providing the cabinet with an acceptable finished appearance when it is surface mounted on a wall.

FIG. 1 shows, in the broken away area, and FIG. 2 shows, in cross section, both the cabinet body strip 10 and the collar strip 22 and their interlocking relationship, as a typical embodiment of the invention in a preferred construction, with the strip both produced from an extruded aluminum alloy. The combination shown provides three interlocks for the collar, one beneath the front frame flange 18, one of the fin and recessed rib 23, 24 at about quarter span, and the third of the back leg 23a with the recessed rib 24a of the back frame.

SELECTION OF SHEET MATERIAL FOR PRODUCING MITER-CUT SEGMENTS OF CABINET BODY AND COLLAR This invention is not limited to the use of a particular material for producing the novel cabinet. Any sheet material that is adequately hard, strong and semi-rigid, impact resistant, heat resistant, durable under service conditions, and that can be preformed to the desired configuration with precise dimensions can be used. Also, strips produced from different materials may be used in combination. Thus, for example, a cabinet body assembled from miter-cut segments of roll formed sheet steel may be provided with a collar of miter-cut segments cut from extruded aluminum strip.

Some sheet materials are more suitable than others; but useful and durable cabinets can be produced from some less desirable materials, or those which are more difficult to fabricate, and will give satisfactory service under many conditions. Therefore such cabinets are within the scope of this invention. The preferred material from which the miter-cut segments for both the cabinet body and the detachable collar are cut, is an extruded aluminum alloy strip (Alcoa Type 6063-T5 or 6463-T5 alloy). A suitable thickness for the strip mate'- rial is about one-sixteenth inch, but it may be as thin as three sixty-fourths inch or as thick as one-eighth inch. The extruded aluminum alloy strip has numerous advantages: it is extremely accurate in dimensions and configuration, so that the miter-cut strips when assembled and fastened produce a neat, tight, well-finished cabinet; it does not require painting to resist corrosion, but can be given an anodized finish if desired; it is hard enough to resist dents and scratches, and strong enough to produce a rigid, durable cabinet; and the dimensional accuracy of the extruded collar strip ensures proper fit and secure attachment of the collar to the cabinet body when the cabinet surface mounted.

Aluminum alloys for use in producing various extruded products are virtually pure aluminum, with the inclusion of very small amounts of alloying elements to afford improved processing and the desired strength and other physical properties of the extruded aluminum product. Thus, aluminum alloys for extrusion usually contain from 0.4 to 0.8 percent by weight of silicon and from 0.4 to 2.5 percent of magnesium. A typical aluminum extrusion alloy suitable for producing the cabinet body and collar shapes of this invention con- I tains 0.4 percent silicon and 0.7 percent magnesium and meets the requirements of A.S.T.M. Standard 3221-65 and of Federal Specification QQ-A-200/9a covering Aluminum Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Shapes and Tubes." Such an aluminum alloy is Aluminum Company of America Type 6063-T5 and similar alloys are available from other aluminum producers.

The novel system of cabinet fabrication herein disclosed lends itself very well to the production of rectangular cabinets from miter-cut segments of preformed hard, strong, semi-rigid plastic strips. The requistie special configuration of the strips, both' for the cabinet body and the detachable collar can be produced by extrusion or by injection molding of the plastic. Suitable plastic materials include high impact ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and acetal resin asthermoplastic resins, and melamine-formaldehyde in the class of thermosetting plastics. The plastic strip may be produced with a metallized finish to resemble aluminum or brass. It is recognized that a plastic cabinet will not be quite as hard and strong as a metal cabinet, nor as heat resistant, but it will still be serviceable under most conditions. When a plastic cabinet is to be surface mounted it may be desirable to provide it with a metal collar of miter-cut extruded aluminum strips to protect the plastic cabinet body. However, when a plastic cabinet is recessed into a wall only the front frame (face trim) is exposed to possible mechanical damage.

In producing a cabinet body from miter-cut segments of preformed plastic strip the crimping method of securing the miter reinforcement pieces at the corners is not applicable. The reinforcement pieces require to be cemented in place and for this purpose an epoxy or acrylic cement can be used. Preferably the miter reinforcements are cut from a plastic sheet of the same material as the strips and this may be reinforced with fiber glass to prevent cracking under stress at the corners. If preferred, metal miter reinforcement pieces may be used instead of plastic and the joint cemented with a suitable adhesive. Collar strip produced from preformed plastic should be somewhat thicker than those made from metal but normally need not be thicker than one-eighth inch.

It will be understood that when reference is made in the claims to a strip of thin, semi-rigid hard, strong sheet material, it is intended to include any of the materials described above, having the requistie characteristics.

Usually it is preferable that the cabinet body strip and the collar strip should both be produced from the same semi-rigid sheet material as this ensures that the cabinet and collar will be compatible in physical properties and appearance. However, it sometimes is desirable to use a different material for the collar. Thus, a manufacturer who is tooled up to produce a cabinet from welded or riveted sheet steel can easily adapt such a steel box cabinet to use miter-cut segments of extruded aluminum collar strip (of the configuration shown in FIG. 2) by the simple expedient of providing the cabinet body with recessed ribs of roll formed sheet steel spot welded to the body at the proper locations to mate and interlock with the tin and rear leg of the collar segment. Likewise,'a cabinet manufacturer who has roll forming equipment for thin sheet steel can produce collar strip of suitable configuration to be miter-cut into segments of required lengths. When the cabinet body is produced from a preformed plastic strip, the collar strip may be of a different plastic that is harder, stronger and more impact-resistant of it may be of metal such as extruded aluminum to increase the fire resistace and reduce the risk of mechanical damage to a surface mounted plastic cabinet.

Some practical combinations are listed below:

Cabinet Body Collar Strip Welded Sheet Steel with Spot Welded Recessed Ribs Preformed Plastic Strips with Roll Formed Sheet Steel Melamine-Formaldehyde TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF THE INVENTION To exemplify the wall cabinet of this invention in a preferred embodiment, reference is made to FIG. I, which shows an isometric rear view of a cabinet for housing a bank of four mail boxes of the apartment type. It can be seen that the assembled structure is a complete wall cabinet, having a rectangular body with an open face, front face frame 13 (trim) and a back frame 14. As shown in the left hand portion of the drawing the cabinet can readily be recessed into a wall with the front face trim 13 against the wall surface. With the miter-cut segments of collar strips 22 snapped into place and interlocked with the cabinet body as shown in the right hand portion of the drawing, the cabinet is easily converted for surface mounting.

The cabinet of the Typical Example is produced from miter-cut segments of extruded aluminum alloy strip (Alcoa Type 6063-T5) of about one-sixteenth inch thickness and having the configuration shown in FIG. 2. The detachable collar strip, also as shown in FIG. 2, is likewise of extruded aluminum. The cabinet regardless of its size has only three basic components body strip, collar strip and miter reinforcement. FIG. 3

shows the detail of the placement and crimped fastening of the miter-reinforcement pieces at the cabinet corners. The miter-reinforcement piece is cut from sheet aluminum of about 0.050 inch thickness.

FIG. 4 is an exploded front view of the mail box compartment bank 30 (4 boxes) as placed in the cabinet interior, with the cabinet and collar pieces disassembled about it. Mail box compartments are produced as banks of three to ten boxes to meet the regulations of the U. S. Post Office Department. The individual boxes are constructed of galvanized sheet steel, flanged and riveted and screwed together to form a multiple compartment unit. The front door panels usually are of extruded brass or aluminum with an embossed surface and anodized finish. Each box has a name plate 31 and an individual lock 32 and there is a master lock 33 at the top for the entire bank which th postman uses when placing the mail in the individual tenants boxes. The bank is usually pivoted on pins at the lower front edge so that it can be tilted forward to enable placing the mail in the boxes. The drawing shows that the novel cabinet of this invention provides an attractive and secure housing for multiple mail box compartments so that they can be either wall-recessed or converted to surface mounted installation. If the number of mail boxes in the bank is changed the side wall members of the cabinet do not require alteration in length and the top and bottom members of the cabinet body (and collar) strips are simply cut to appropriate lengths for the changed length dimension of the different compartment assembly that is to be housed inthe cabinet.

Although the above Typical Example described an apartment mail box cabinet it is obvious that bathroom cabinets, display cabinets and cabinets for many other types of end uses can readily be produced by the novel structural system herein disclosed. Most types of cabinets are installed on a vertical wall or partition, but for special uses may of course be mounted on a nonvertical surface such as a sloping wall or a ceiling.

MODIFICATIONS AND COMBINATIONS WITHIN THE SCOPE OFTI-IE INVENTION While the invention has been described and exemplified as a preferred embodiment with the cabinet body strip and the collar strip having the configurations shown in FIG. 2, with the recessed ribs of the body and the interlocking fins of the collar strip at specific locations to mate and interlock the collar with the body, it is immediately obvious that considerable structural variations can be made and still achieve the desired results and produce a superior wall cabinet. Some such possible modifications are shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, involving changes in the contour and placement of the collar strip, locations and orientation of the recessed ribs on the body strip, type of front face flange interlock, and the number and locations of the interlocking fins.

Thus in FIG. 5 the fin 23b has been moved toward the rear, and its interlocking end has been reversed. The interlocking end of the back fin 230 has also been reversed. At the front, the depressed flanges 50 has been eliminated, and an additional depressed flange has been provided at 51 to engage under the flange 18, while the front edge of the member 22 rests on top of the flange 18.

In FIG. 6 the fin 23b is the same as above, but the fin 23e has been shortened to provide a hand grip for removing the member 22 if desired. At the front, a special hook element 52 has been provided, to hook under a special formation 53 on the flange 18. Also the rib 20 has an angular extension 20a to assist in guiding the member 52 into position.

In FIG. 7 the front configuration is the same as in FIG. 6, but only a single fin and rib structure is provided at the rear at 23f. This structure is the same as that of FIG. 5.

To accomplish secure interlocking of the collar with the cabinet body at least one recessed rib and mating fin are required, plus the engagement of the front edge with the face frame flange. Two or more recessed ribs and interlocking fins or legs are preferred. The interlocking fins should be integral with the collar strip rather than the body strip where they would interfere with recessed installation of the cabinet.

FIG. 8 is a magnified cross sectional view of the interlocking fin and recessed rib shown in FIG. 2. It is seen that the edge of the fin which interlocks with the recessed rib is generally of cylindrical shape, is enlarged and is offset from the axis of the fin to mate with the recessed rib. FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show similarly magnified cross sections of other forms of fin and rib which work satisfactorily. FIG. 9 shows an offset, enlarged hook edge for the fin 23h; FIG. 10 shows the fin edge 41 not enlarged but at an angle to the axis of the fin, with the rib 42 placed at a similar angle on the body strip. FIG. 11 shows the fin with an enlarged lower portion, offset from the fin axis and with a double groove 43 which provides a very positive interlock. In FIG. 12 the interlock recess 44 is formed within the body strip instead of being placed on its surface in which case the length of the fin 23k is increased sufficiently so that the enlarged offset edge can mate with the recess.

The invention having been fully disclosed as to its basic concept arid described in detail both as a preferred embodiment and various modifications, it is intended that it shall be limited only as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A rectangular cabinet adapted for either recessed mounting into a wall or for surface mounting on a wall and adapted to receive a collar which gives said cabinet a finished appearance, without vertical, exposed seams when surface mounted, consisting of four miter-cut segments of a strip of thin, semi-rigid, hard, strong sheet material forming the 'top, bottom and sides, front frame and back frame of said cabinet,

a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion corresponding in width to the depth of the cabinet from front to back, having a narrower, integral, outwardly extending flange along one edge at 90 to said central portion constituting a front frame member for said cabinet opening, said outwardly extending flange having a rearwardly turned narrow integral flange parallel to said central body portion of said strip, said strip also having an inwardly extending flange along the other edge of the strip at 90 to said central portion constituting a back frame member for said cabinet,

b. said strip, miter-cut at 45 inwardly from its outer face, in pairs of suitable lengths for the top and bottom and for the sides, respectively, providing, when assembled, a rectangular box structure having a top, sides, bottom, an outwardly extending front face frame, and an inwardly extending back frame for said cabinet interior,

c. said strip further having at least one interlocking element on its outer surface for engagement with a complimentary interlocking element on a collar structure.

d. said front face frame and said back frame each having spaced ribs extending longitudinally of said strip and spaced a predetermined distance from said front face frame and said back face frame re spectively, to provide a narrow channel,

an L-shaped rectangular flat strip having a thickness not less than said predetermined distance between said ribs and said front face frame and said back face frame respectlvely and being frictionally secured in the narrow meeting channels at each front and back corner of said assembled box structure as a miter reinforcement and to secure said top, bottom and sides together, said cabinet being suitable for installation with the box recessed into a wall cavity with its outer face frame against the wall surface.

2. The structure of claim 1, in combination with a collar assembly consisting of four segments of a strip of preformed, thin, semi-rigid hard, strong sheet material, miter-cut at 45 inwardly from the outer face of said strip, in pairs of appropriate length for the top and bottom and for the sides respectively,

a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion of width substantially equal to the depth of the cabinet from front to back,

b. said strip along its front edge having means to engage the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet,

c. said strip having at least one downwardly extending interlocking element adapted to engage and interlock with the interlocking element on" said cabi net, to hold said collar segment securely in place as a spaced-apart outer wall for said cabinet, whereby said cabinet may have said collar assembly segments snapped into place about said cabinet body to provide an outer wall and adapt said cabinet to surface mounted installation.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein the means along said front edge comprises a narrow flange offset from the plane of said strip by about the thickness Of the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet.

'4. The structure of claim 3, wherein said longitudinally disposed interlocking element on the strip from which said box structure 18 assembled comprises a longitudinally recessed rib along said strip on its outer surface, and wherein the longitudinal downwardly extending interlocking element on the strip from which said collar assembly is cut comprises a tin of such length and configuration to engage and interlock with the said recessed rib.

5. A collar asembly for arectangular cabinet adapted for either recessed mounting into a wall or for surface mounting on a wall having a front face frame provided with an angularly rearwardly turned flange, said cabinet having top, bottom and side walls each provided with at least one interlocking element to adapt said cabinet for surface mounted installation with a finished appearance without vertical, exposed seams when surface mounted; said cabinet comprising four preformed strips having meetlng narrow grooves along their front and rear faces and L-shaped rectangular flat strips frictionally engaging said narrow grooves to form a rectangular cabinet; said assembly consisting of four segments of strip of preformed, thin, semi-rigid, hard, strong sheet material, miter-cut at 45 from the outer face of said strip, inpairs of appropriate length for the top and bottom and for the sides, respectively,

a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion of width substantially equal to the depth of the cabinet from front to back,

b. said strip along its front edge having means to engage the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of. said cabinet,

c. said strip having at least one downwardly extending interlocking element adapted to engage and interlock withthe interlocking element on said cabinet to hold said collar segment securely in place as a spaced-apart outer wall for said cabinet, whereby said cabinet may have said collar assembly segments snapped into place about said cabinet body to adapt said cabinet to surface mounted installation.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein the means along said front edge comprises a narrow flange offset from the plane of said strip by about the thickness of the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet. 

1. A rectangular cabinet adapted for either recessed mounting into a wall or for surface mounting on a wall and adapted to receive a collar which gives said cabinet a finished appearance, without vertical, exposed seams when surface mounted, consisting of four miter-cut segments of a strip of thin, semi-rigid, hard, strong sheet material forming the top, bottom and sides, front frame and back frame of said cabinet, a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion corresponding in width to the depth of the cabinet from front to back, having a narrower, integral, outwardly extending flange along one edge at 90* to said central portion constituting a front frame member for said cabinet opening, said outwardly extending flange having a rearwardly turned narrow integral flange parallel to said central body portion of said strip, said strip also having an inwardly extending flange along the other edge of the strip at 90* to said central portion constituting a back frame member for said cabinet, b. said strip, miter-cut at 45* inwardly from its outer face, in pairs of suitable lengths for the top and bottom and for the sides, respectively, providing, when assembled, a rectangular box structure having a top, sides, bottom, an outwardly extending front face frame, and an inwardly extending back frame for said cabinet interior, c. said strip further having at least one interlocking element on its outer surface for engagement with a complimentary interlocking element on a collar structure. d. said front face frame and said back frame each having spaced ribs extending longitudinally of said strip and spaced a predetermined distance from said front face frame and said back face frame respectively, to provide a narrow channel, e. an L-shaped rectangular flat strip having a thickness not less than said predetermined distance between said ribs and said front face frame and said back face frame respectIvely and being frictionally secured in the narrow meeting channels at each front and back corner of said assembled box structure as a miter reinforcement and to secure said top, bottom and sides together, said cabinet being suitable for installation with the box recessed into a wall cavity with its outer face frame against the wall surface.
 2. The structure of claim 1, in combination with a collar assembly consisting of four segments of a strip of preformed, thin, semi-rigid hard, strong sheet material, miter-cut at 45* inwardly from the outer face of said strip, in pairs of appropriate length for the top and bottom and for the sides respectively, a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion of width substantially equal to the depth of the cabinet from front to back, b. said strip along its front edge having means to engage the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet, c. said strip having at least one downwardly extending interlocking element adapted to engage and interlock with the interlocking element on said cabinet, to hold said collar segment securely in place as a spaced-apart outer wall for said cabinet, whereby said cabinet may have said collar assembly segments snapped into place about said cabinet body to provide an outer wall and adapt said cabinet to surface mounted installation.
 3. The structure of claim 2, wherein the means along said front edge comprises a narrow flange offset from the plane of said strip by about the thickness Of the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet.
 4. The structure of claim 3, wherein said longitudinally disposed interlocking element on the strip from which said box structure is assembled comprises a longitudinally recessed rib along said strip on its outer surface, and wherein the longitudinal downwardly extending interlocking element on the strip from which said collar assembly is cut comprises a fin of such length and configuration to engage and inteRlock with the said recessed rib.
 5. A collar asembly for a rectangular cabinet adapted for either recessed mounting into a wall or for surface mounting on a wall having a front face frame provided with an angularly rearwardly turned flange, said cabinet having top, bottom and side walls each provided with at least one interlocking element to adapt said cabinet for surface mounted installation with a finished appearance without vertical, exposed seams when surface mounted; said cabinet comprising four preformed strips having meetIng narrow grooves along their front and rear faces and L-shaped rectangular flat strips frictionally engaging said narrow grooves to form a rectangular cabinet; said assembly consisting of four segments of strip of preformed, thin, semi-rigid, hard, strong sheet material, miter-cut at 45* from the outer face of said strip, in pairs of appropriate length for the top and bottom and for the sides, respectively, a. said strip having a substantially flat, wide central body portion of width substantially equal to the depth of the cabinet from front to back, b. said strip along its front edge having means to engage the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet, c. said strip having at least one downwardly extending interlocking element adapted to engage and interlock with the interlocking element on said cabinet to hold said collar segment securely in place as a spaced-apart outer wall for said cabinet, whereby said cabinet may have said collar assembly segments snapped into place about said cabinet body to adapt said cabinet to surface mounted installation.
 6. The structure of claim 5, wherein the means along said front edge comprises a narrow flange offset from the plane of said strip by about the thickness of the rearwardly turned flange of the front face frame of said cabinet. 